"Earth Song" | One-Day Choir

**A portion of this event's proceeds will go to Uprose, an intergenerational, multi-racial, nationally recognized organization promoting environmental sustainability and resiliency in Brooklyn

WHAT IS A ONE-DAY CHOIR?

Gaia Music Collective's One-Day Choir series is an opportunity to sing in a choir for one day only. A celebration of song and the connective power of singing in harmony. An opportunity to build community, make some new friends, and raise our powerfully diverse voices as one.

No auditions. No commitment. No need for perfection.

Just the joy of creating something bigger than ourselves with a room full of beautiful humans!

For each choir, we pick a single piece of music to rehearse and sing our hearts out to. In our time together, we'll:

• Play some fun singing games, warmups, & connection games
• Work through the piece section by section
• Break down the lyrics & emotions at play in the song
• Shape some key musical moments
• & Record some casual rehearsal videos of the piece to share with the greater Gaia community

Whether you're a vocal ensemble veteran or have never sung in a group before, you are welcome here - all experience levels are valued in Gaia Music Collective!

OUR SONG THIS TIME AROUND

“This is Earth's Song, because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man's mismanagement of the Earth. And with the ecological imbalance going on, and a lot of the problems in the environment, I think Earth feels the pain, and she has wounds, and it's about some of the joys of the planet as well.”

~Michael Jackson

In recognition of Earth Day, we are going to be exploring Michael Jackson’s anthem for environmental justice, “Earth Song”. Though it was released in 1995, this song feels more relevant and timely than ever. Join us as we sing an extraordinary arrangement of this powerful tune by Gaia’s own, Kenter Davies.

Check out the original here:

LEARNING THE MUSIC

Sheet music and vocal recordings of each part will be available as learning resources before the event, and our collective goal is to practice the parts ahead of time so that we might come into the gathering with ! This way we can spend our time together really diving into the richness of music-making, rather than trying to teach the parts one by one. We don't need to know our parts by heart by any means (and you defffinitely don’t have to memorize it), but the stronger we are in our parts coming in, the more we'll be able to really dig into the fun stuff!

(If this style of learning isn't your cup of tea, we have other group singing events where you don't need to prepare at all! Check out our CircleSinging gatherings and House Shows.)

LED & FACILITATED BY:

This session will be facilitated by the luminous Kenter Davies!

Kenter Davies (he/him) is a music educator, vocal arranger and singer/songwriter who lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently pursuing an MA in music education at Hunter College, which he plans to use to create joyous, accessible, and supportive spaces for people of all ages to engage with music and create freely. He believes that music is within every person, and that the world needs more opportunities for casual music-making free of judgment and perfectionism. Kenter is thrilled to be facilitating one-night choir events for Gaia over the summer, and cannot wait to see this community grow and change the lives of those within it, just as it has changed his life.

PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY:

• 2 story walk down to the basement with handrails.
• Narrow doors & walkways.
• Limited seating available (metal folding chairs)
• Uneven walkways outside.
• Bathroom is not wheelchair accessible (narrow stall, low toilet).

? ? ?

COVID VACCINATION & BOOSTER RECOMMENDED (but masks not required)

CANCELLATION POLICY

We want as many people to be able to experience these gatherings as possible, and since capacity is limited, each spot is precious! If you RSVP but are no longer able to come, please let us know at least 24 hours before the event so that we may offer your spot to someone else. Tickets are non-transferable, as we need to be able to gather enough funds to rent the spaces and pay our lovely facilitator.

For more info, contact us at [email protected].

MEDIA CONSENT

Because we want to share what we’re up to with people who can’t join us in person, there will be photographers and videographers present — by attending, you consent to being a part of that media, some of which may be posted online! Please email us with any questions or concerns at [email protected]

? ? ?

GAIA MUSIC COLLECTIVE MISSION

Gaia Music Collective is a creative community based in Brooklyn, NYC. Our mission is to create connective, playful, accessible spaces for collaborative music-making. Spaces where we can seek expression, growth, freedom, & release in our music. Spaces where we can explore the healing potential of collective music-making and improvisation. Spaces where folks feel safe to express themselves free of judgment or expectation, and to make new friends as our weird, beautiful, authentic selves.

All are welcome in this community. Gaia celebrates humans of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, classes, religions, abilities, national origins, languages, and musical experiences. All we ask is that you bring an open mind, a desire to connect, and a willingness to leave judgment of self & others at the door.

Here at Gaia, we believe that music-making - and making that music in community & collaboration with other people - is a fundamental human practice, and this project seeks to build space for that in a day and age when it can so often be hard to find.

Gaia Music Collective seeks to break down divisions between performer & audience and craft experiences where we are ALL part of the music-making. We hope to offer a network & platform for local artists & creatives to connect with other artists, activate their creativity through play and collaboration, and engage their art with other musical minds.

In short - we're here to sing, to play, to connect, to grow, and to have a good time!

?

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Gymnopedie, 1139 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, United States